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Local Authors => Brandon Sanderson => Topic started by: kaimipono on October 15, 2008, 06:51:46 AM

Title: Buy report
Post by: kaimipono on October 15, 2008, 06:51:46 AM
Should we have a thread about buy reports (discussing what stores had it, when, how many)?  I didn't see any for this (though I didn't click all the threads - I have to work and can't finish the book today, and I don't want to see spoilers), and I think I remember reading before how this can be useful information.

So -- I bought my copy at Barnes and Noble in La Jolla (San Diego). 

I went into the store and checked and didn't see it in the SF/F new releases, and so I asked a store clerk about it.  Turns out that HoA wasn't on the SF/F shelf because it was on the overall new release table, right at the front of the store (first table in).  It was a very nice placement (except that it was on the back side of the table, so it was a little bit hidden behind the other books on the table).

Also, when we asked about HoA, the clerk volunteered (we didn't even ask this) that they had already sold another copy earlier in the day (and it was barely noon).  There were three left at the time (two, after I bought mine).  So that's probably a good sign, maybe that store will sell out and reorder. 

(Also, the SF/F section there had a solid EUOL section in general, paperbacks of Elantris and MB1 & 2.)
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: CthulhuKefka on October 15, 2008, 07:04:51 AM
I had pre-ordered mine from Amazon.com and recieved it yesterday (I had the one day shipping added).

Later that day I was at a local Barnes and Noble in Framingham, MA and looked for it out of curiosity (and perhaps to buy another copy  ;)) , but couldn't find it. I checked the computer system to try and locate it, and it said it was in stock and showed me where it was suppose to be, but it wasn't there. People must have bought it out and it hadn't updated in the system yet. :)
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: bhthomas on October 15, 2008, 08:20:14 AM
I reserved mine from the local Borders and when I went there today they told me that they had just ordered them so they would arrive Thursday. Checked online and all the borders within 25 miles of me had done the same thing. Now i have to wait till Thursday to even start reading it .Just my luck that when everyone is getting theirs early I get mine late
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: MajSpike on October 15, 2008, 01:01:36 PM
I checked my local Hastings yesterday and what do you know, there was nothing there. Good thing I knew the store wouldn't get the book, so I took the liberty of placing an order just for me. I hope I can start reading HOA before the end of the week.
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: EUOL on October 15, 2008, 08:39:29 PM
Sigh.  Yes, there have been some delays in distribution for some areas.  I'm so sorry, everyone!  I just did a longer blog post on it. 

We've got reports that every major market has SOME stores with it on the shelves, but each one also has many stores that don't.  Right now, we're sitting with at least 40% of stores not having put it out yet. 
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: Rey on October 16, 2008, 02:10:22 AM
I went to three different stores here in town (Bellingham, WA) and none of them had copies. Had to end up ordering it from amazon so hopefully it gets here by the end of the week.
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: spejoku on October 16, 2008, 02:51:13 AM
It was sold out at my B&N, so I'm getting it on friday.  I saw one of my english teachers there, looking for HoA too.  We agreed that if it was in stock, we'd fight for it.  It wasnt.

...I'm not sure I wouldve won.
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: Andrew the Great on October 16, 2008, 05:42:01 AM
Barnes and Noble in Idaho Falls had like 20 copies, as well as a bunch of Brandon's other books. But that's because the people at B&N in IF show good taste and actually like Brandon. In fact, on 3 separate occasions, when buying books there they recommended Brandon to me. Then they laughed when I told them I'd already read all of his current books 3 times.
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: AvalonDreamer on October 16, 2008, 07:59:52 PM
Sacramento, CA - only 3 of out local B&N's (I think out of 8) had them in stock, but they were all boxed and in the back.  My nearby Borders/Walden has them , but they say they didn't order enough to put on the shelf with all the reserve requests. Local indie bookstores gave me blank stares when I mentioned Brandon Sanderson.

Pretty much all the chains around here were agonizing about not having ordered enough, and that they were getting hammered by customers to hold copies. Oddly, my college's library has 2 copies right now... Them's the breaks, eh?

Congrats Brandon, on a work very well done. I have a feeling a NY Times Best-Seller is in the works.
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: Peter Ahlstrom on October 16, 2008, 09:12:46 PM
You can only get on the NYT list if you sell a lot of books in a single week, which, even if people want the books, can't happen unless the bookstores have enough of them.

The Amazon rankings are interesting. Right now it's 182 and it's been as high as 152. Titlez.com says WoA only got up to 1,757 (though it says the paperback got up to 1,159, which is interesting since paperbacks usually don't perform as well on Amazon as hardbacks do).

Of course, 182 is not near 25.
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: Phaz on October 16, 2008, 11:37:10 PM
The B&N out by me still doesn't have the copy I pre-ordered.  I hope it comes by the end of the week.  They said when they get it I should have an email within an hour.
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: MajSpike on October 18, 2008, 07:03:53 AM
I picked up my copy this afternoon.  :)
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: Reaves on October 18, 2008, 11:29:05 PM
I plan to pick my copy up tommorow.  :) Then once I madly read-through in a single day I can dash back to the computer and read all the *SPOILERS* posts!
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: Agate on October 19, 2008, 03:03:18 AM
I had my copy pre-orderd st one of the Borders nearby,  When I had seen on the board that some books were released ahead of time I  went and checked on the sunday before release and found the book 4 copies, in the regular SCIFi/Faantasy Hardcover section, no display and not in the new releases section.  When I went to let them know to take me off the reserved list, I asked if they had more than the ones n the shelf and they stated that only the few that had been pre-ordered.  The remaining books had all sold already. the local B&N did not have any copies.
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: achren99 on October 19, 2008, 04:08:58 AM
I just moved to Rochester, NY, and sadly, there are no Borders near my apt or work--so during my lunch break I drove all the way to Borders (took the whole hour to get there and back) and they didn't have them yet!  (It's my fault -- I should have been smart and called them -- I was just overly excited to buy it).  The guy apologized and said that I was the 3rd or 4th person who had asked that day (and it was noon the day it came out).  So you must have some fans in Rochester, Brandon!  Yay!

I ordered mine online and had it shipped to the store.  It started off in NJ on Thursday, then went on a detour to West Virginia and now is stuck in Pennsylvania.  I'm very sad.  It's ok, though, I'll survive :). 

I searched B&N too and they were out.  They had a whole table full of Stephenie Meyer books though *rolls eyes.*  Everyone seems to have PLENTY of those.  haha  Do I sound bitter?

I wish there hadn't been all of these distribution problems and I hope it doesn't stop the book from making the NY Times list. 
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: LeisureSuitLarry on October 19, 2008, 06:55:11 AM
I bought mine through Amazon.com, and I'm glad I did. I was looking through the B&N in Downtown Seattle, and I didn't see it.
Title: Re: Buy report
Post by: GreenMonsta on October 21, 2008, 11:59:37 PM
I got mine at Amazon and from the online tracking it arrived on the day of the release so I cant complain, although I may not be home to get the book it was there on time.